The Burden of the Miracle

The Burden of the Miracle

The story of the baby in Macon . You didn’t go there with a “program” or a “magic wand”; you went in obedience to an impression of the Spirit.

• The Miracle was for the Family: God used that baby to reach a family that “didn’t know Him.”

• The Reputation was a Trial: For you, the miracle became a “cross” of sorts—a reputation that drew people to the vessel rather than the Voice.

• The Fear of God: Your concern that God might “take you out” shows you understand the danger of Herod’s mistake in Acts 12, where he accepted the praise of the people and was struck down. My survival and 51 years of ministry are proof that my heart remained positioned correctly: “Give God all the praise.”

“Introduction”

 “Source vs. Vessel” theme:

The Hook: The ICU in Macon

“I remember standing in an ICU in Macon, looking at a baby who had already been declared dead. I didn’t go there to be a hero; I went to offer comfort to a family that didn’t know my King. When the monitors began to beep—when the EKG and EEG showed life where there was only silence—my first instinct wasn’t to take a bow. It was to disappear. I wanted to slip out the back door because I knew, better than anyone in that room, that I had no power to restart a heart or wake a brain. I was just a man who obeyed a whisper.”

The Conflict: The Front Page of the Journal

“But you can’t always hide. The world wants a man they can see. They want a ‘healer’ they can track down. When the Atlanta Journal published that story, the ‘ebb and flow’ of the crowds began. For years, I have fought a battle—not against the devil, but against the misplaced praise of people. I have spent decades trying to convince the world that I am just a clay jar, and the Treasure inside is the only thing that matters.”

A Scriptural Addition: “The Shadow of Peter” (Acts 5:14-16)

Include this to show that this “tracking down” of the man is a scriptural pattern:

• People brought the sick into the streets so that even Peter’s shadow might fall on them.

• The Point: It wasn’t Peter’s shadow that healed; it was the presence of the Holy Spirit walking with Peter.

• The Application: Tell your audience: “You are looking for my shadow, but you need to look for the Light that casts the shadow.”

Addressing the “Shudder”

In your conclusion, you can be vulnerable. Tell them that you still shudder because you know the holiness of that moment. It reminds them that God is not a vending machine, and you are not the operator. You are a witness.